Man the galley!
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 22 Mar 2020 14:00 PDT
Looking Forward - Galley and wet area - Lion New Zealand - Relaunch - March 11, 2019 © Richard Gladwell
Normally, that phrase would read 'Man the Pumps!' Yet this week's headline flows on from your overwhelming support for last week's editorial That sinking feeling. Our Managing Editor, Mark Jardine's piece, Don't let it get to you, go for a sail, also received similar accolades. We are both very humbled, and extremely appreciative.
We will continue to find the positive elements for all of us as sailors and members of the industry to reflect upon, and utilise them for strength in this troubling time. In speaking with the CEO of one of Australia's largest clubs it was not hard to miss the levels of frustration and sorrow their entire team felt as they yielded to COVID-19, and closed their doors.
The impacts to the staff were distinctly direct and accountable, let alone to all of those many bookings their cavernous function facilities had, not only for the weekend just been, but moving forward as well. We feel for you all, may sound trite, but it is nothing less than utterly genuine.
Now whilst in that discussion with Richard Hewett of the Sandringham Yacht Club, first a glimmer, then a roaring flame of fire, as if from the very char grill inside their capacious kitchen, appeared and swelled. Here was the silver lining... Their fridges and cellars were well stocked, and with the temporary closure of the clubhouse, not the marina, OTB, and hardstand facilities BTW, here was an opportunity.
SYC's Head Chef, Kol, and his team had created $8-12 meals that included delights like Lasagne, and Lamb Shanks. Best of all, their suppliers were indicating that they could continue to deliver the goods (yes, fully intended), so they had the ability to offer the service for a short time moving forward. You could collect after payment via grab and go, or for their more senior members, there was the ability to provide home delivery, with wiped down bags and all.
The news got even better, because as the fridges would be shut off, beers and wines could also be purchased in your survival pack. Now you're talking, huh! All you needed was a credit card and a desire, and they would go to any length to help you, which over the long run may well help everyone when we can finally get back up and running.
Looking for more? Well one of the club's provedores had also seen a massive downturn in their business, and still had plenty of stock on hand. Solution? The members got to order direct, and have it delivered to their home. Talk about bonus. Who would not go for beef mince at AUD 15.50 a kilo, Cape Grim (cleanest air in the world) Porterhouse for AUD 44.50 a kilo, or marbled eye fillet for AUD 57.00 - yes please. If you were on more of a budget, then boned and rolled pork shoulder for AUD 16.00 a kilo would do more than feed your army. Looks like Melbourne (VIC not FLA) might be the home of the deals right now...
So we saw in Mark Jardine's piece, how going single-handed OTB is a really good way to get some vital stress relief right about now. Laser Radial sailor, Mara Stransky, commented, "It is an honour to be named as a part of the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020. I'm proud to have made the amount of improvement necessary for consideration over the last 12 months, but consider this very much a stepping-stone. I have not yet achieved what I've set out to, but this selection has served as very positive reinforcement that I am on the right track."
"The broader Radial program has lifted significantly over the last few years, and I hope that my involvement at the Olympic level will promote and quantify that."
"With so much uncertainty around the world currently, it's hard to know exactly what the program will look like from here, but I consider the Radials to be in a strong position, with no shortage of training partners domestically. At the moment we're also still enjoying a lot of freedom around training environments, so whatever does come next, I believe I'll be as well prepared for it as possible," said the effervescent and determined Stransky, whose Grandmother's compass hanging around her neck certainly has her on the right course.
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John Curnow
Editor, Sail-World AUS